Why is this
Promise
called the Saint Joseph Promise?
What can Saint Joseph do about pressure on teenagers to be unchaste,
and
what does the Saint know about adolescents? Good questions.

Saint Joseph was
the
foster father of Jesus and
the legal husband of Mary. Although Mary and Joseph were truly married,
Mary conceived the Savior, not through the loving union of parents, but
through the loving power of the Holy Spirit. Mary so loved God
that
she was inspired at a young age to dedicate all to God in a special
manner, to vow her virginity to God as her way of saying to her
Creator,
"I love You!" Men and women who dedicate their all to God in this
special manner are called virgins."

St. Joseph was
not the
natural father of Jesus
as his blood did not flow in the veins of Christ. Although we rightly
say
that Saint Joseph was truly the husband of Mary, he was not the natural
father of Jesus. But as Mary's true husband, he acted like a father
toward
her Child, providing Him and her all that a father provides:
protection,
food, clothing, shelter. Thus, we call Saint Joseph the foster father
of
Jesus. Let us never fear the mysteries in our Faith which only Heaven
will
unravel for our edification.

Today in the
Church we
hear a lot about conscience.
We hear that conscience will always guide you; and if your conscience
tells
you something is OK, then it must be OK. But in reality that does not
always
hold true.

Jesus says
"Whose sins
you shall forgive, they
are forgiven." If your conscience were sufficient to keep you straight
and narrow, there would never be sins to forgive. We need more than
just
our conscience. God did not send Moses down the mountain with ten
suggestions.
God gave Moses TEN COMMANDMENTS, because God knows that conscience
alone
is insufficient. Nor did God suggest that we pick out the Commandments
we like nor just those that appeal to us. All ten of the
Commandments
are truly commandments and we are bound to obey them.

With that
established,
it males a lot of sense
to get a little help. We all need it! Teenagers today have it the
roughest,
and getting some heavenly help in these tough growing years can reap
success
later on. When growing up young adults have their human heroes or a
hall
of fame od ideal models to follow. St. Joseph may no longer be well
known
to some of today's teenagers, but because of his state in life he is a
sure model to follow. For purity, for family, for direction, go to
Saint
Joseph. The foster father of Jesus lived a life of chastity, so he
knows
and understands the struggle. He was the one person closest to Jesus
and
Mary, the Mother of God, so he is powerful. If power is needed to fight
the fire, and it is, GO TO ST. JOSEPH.

St. Joseph can
rightfully be called the Patron
Saint of Teenagers. Why?

1. Because Saint
Joseph took the promise of virginity
when he was likely still a relatively young man. Most artistic images
of
St. Joseph portray him as an old man, but we know he worked to support
the Holy Family, so while he was probably a bit older than Mary who was
but a teen when she consented to be the Mother of God, Joseph would
have
been still young enough to work and provide the physical security for
his
family.

2. Because Saint
Joseph was rewarded with what
could be called the happiest and most perfect marriage that ever took
place
in this world -- the hope and aspiration
of most teenagers. This married bless was but one of the many rewards
granted
to St. Joseph for his life of virginity.

3. Because in
the Holy
Family St. Joseph resembled
us most closely as he was truly a human being like us in all ways. We
can
imitate his noble, challenging ways. Jesus is the incarnation, our God
made man, our Messiah. mary is the spotless creature, the one human
being
without even the stain of sin, Original and actual. But it was St.
Joseph
who filled the human role of guardian, provider and protector,
sacrificing
his own needs and desires to accomplish it.

Any teenager or
young
single, adult can go to
St. Joseph to learn to follow Jesus, and to live a life as rich in
sanctity
and contentment as St. Joseph.

THE SAINT
JOSEPH
PROMISE LETTER

Dear Saint
Joseph,

You probably
know
about me, but I do not know
as much about you as perhaps I should. However, you must have been
special
to be selected as the foster father of Our Lord Jesus and His Mother's
husband.

I want to make
what is
called the St. Joseph Promise,
that I recently read about, and which Promise I am making for this
intention:

I wish to be
happy,
very happy, whenever I should
marry. I mean that I want to be happy all my married life. My parents
have
a good marriage, but some of classmates' parents do not. My parents may
not always talk about their happiness, so I am presuming that they are
happy or at least content.

But I want to be
really happy and I guess that
I am asking for a kind of reward in return for my making this Promise.
I am still a teenager and like most kids my age I find it difficult to
put my feelings in words, especially to my parents, whom I know love me
more than anything else in this world. It is that I get embarrassed,
but
here goes . . .

I PROMISE NOT TO
TAKE
PART IN, OR TO ENJOY THE
PRIVILEGES OF MARRIAGE, UNTIL I MYSELF HAVE RECEIVED THE SACRAMENT OF
MARRIAGE,
THROUGH THE KINDNESS OF GOD AND THE BLESSING OF HOLY MOTHER CHURCH. I
INTEND
THAT MY GIFT TO MY WIFE/HUSBAND ON OUR WEDDING DAY WILL BE MY VIRGINITY
AND MY PROMISE OF CHASTITY IN MARRIAGE, THAT IS TO USE THE CONJUGAL
PRIVILEGE
IN ACCORD WITH THE WILL OF GOD, FREE OF CONTRACEPTION AND THE USE OF MY
SPOUSE FOR MY OWN GRATIFICATION. I PROMISE THAT GOD WILL GIVE US THE
NUMBER
OF CHILDREN HE WANTS TO BLESS US WITH AND TO BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW THAT
HE
ALONE KNOWS HOW MANY CHILDREN WE SHOULD HAVE.

If this is not
worded
as correctly as I could
have said, Saint Joseph, surely you know how to put it together before
presenting my promise to the Lord. Please give my promise to Jesus in
the
form of a prayer that my marriage will always be pleasing to Him and
ever
blessed with happiness. Dear St. Joseph, I wish to abstain from all
sexual
acts, including sinful kissing, now and in the future and I ask your
help
and strength that i most surely need. I take you as my special Patron
in
this Promised endeavor.

This is my Saint
Joseph Promise.

May it be
pleasing to
you and to Jesus and to
your Spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Thank you,
[Your Name]

P.S.

Please, St.
Joseph,
ask Jesus and Mary to remain
ever in my thoughts along with you so that I will conquer the
temptation
of masturbation so deliberately promoted in the media and elsewhere
today
. . . I long to be be pure in thought, word, and body, always. And
remind
me when I need it and forget that I should spend time in the company of
like-intended young people and encourage others to make the promise
also.

A DAILY PRAYER OF PETITION TO ST.
JOSEPH

BELOVED Saint
Joseph,
adopt me as thy child.
Take care of my salvation and watch over me day
and night, preserve from the occasion of sin, and obtain for me purity
of soul and body!

Through thy
intercession with Jesus, grant me
a spirit of sacrifice, of humility, of self-denial, a great love for
Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament, and a tender love for Mary, my Mother.

Saint Joseph, be
with
me living, be with me dying,
and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus, my merciful Savior.

I PROMISE NOT TO TAKE PART IN, OR TO ENJOY THE
PRIVILEGES OF MARRIAGE, UNTIL I MYSELF HAVE RECEIVED THE SACRAMENT OF
MARRIAGE,
THROUGH THE KINDNESS OF GOD AND THE BLESSING OF HOLY MOTHER CHURCH.
THROUGH
MY OWN WEAKNESS I HAVE ALREADY FAILED IN MY DUTY TO REMAIN CHASTE
BEFORE
MARRIAGE, BUT I HAVE REPENTED; NOW I INTEND THAT MY GIFT TO MY
WIFE/HUSBAND
ON OUR WEDDING DAY WILL BE MY REPENTANCE OF THIS SIN, AND AS A PLEDGE
OF
MY REPENTANCE, MY PROMISE OF CHASTITY IN MARRIAGE, THAT IS TO USE
THE CONJUGAL PRIVILEGE IN ACCORD WITH THE WILL OF GOD, FREE OF
CONTRACEPTION
AND THE USE OF MY SPOUSE FOR MY OWN GRATIFICATION. I PROMISE THAT GOD
WILL
GIVE US THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN HE WANTS TO BLESS US WITH AND TO BE
GRATEFUL
TO KNOW THAT HE ALONE KNOWS HOW MANY CHILDREN WE SHOULD HAVE.

A Boy
Sweetheart's Daily PrayerO St.
Joseph, Model of justice, and therefore
of husbands,
I beseech Thee to direct me in my choice of a
future wife. Grant me especially wisdom and deliberation in this
choice.
Make both my friendship and courtship especially chaste, unselfish,
prudent,
thrifty, and cheerful. Be my companion in single as well as in wedded
life.

SIX RULES

For a Happy and
Successful
Friendship and Courtship

1. Receive our
Lord in
Holy Communion every Sunday
for strength to be and act like a Christlike man/lady.

2. Pray to the
Blessed
Mother every day for grace
to grow in faith, and in prayerfulness/to respect and protect her
daughters.

3. Imitate
Christ the
Gentleman Who was so unselfish
at home and abroad/Imitate Mary the Virgin in her modesty, in the
sweetness
of her charity, her womanly way.

4. Be rich in
masculine interests and grow in
the art of conversation and of being interesting/Be rich in womanly
interests
and womanly skills, cooking, sewing, nursing, and homemaking.

5. Learn to make
decisions for yourself. Learn
to save and be a pleasant companion/Try to grow up. Learn to save. Know
when to speak and when to keep silent.

6. Strive for an
esteem of the Sacrament of Marriage
and of your God-given calling as a husband and father/God-given calling
as wife and mother in building a Catholic marriage and a Catholic home.